Captain's Dead
by captain-vegan
Summary: When Ianto finds his beloved captain apparently dead in the middle of The Hub, it's a race against time. Owen, Tosh, Gwen and Ianto must bravely tackle every obstacle thrown at them without the help of their dashing, immortal boss - will their skills triumph against an unknown threat? Contains suggestive scenes and minor coarse language, so may be an M rating in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Torchwood, or the BBC, or any of the characters (not even Jack, sadly). I am also not making any money by publishing this fiction and am doing this out the kindness of my heart for fellow Janto lovers. Please feel free to tell me what a poor job I am making of this fanfic as it is my first attempt :)

Ianto wasn't fazed in the slightest. It wasn't the first time he'd played dead for longer than necessary to see what reactions he could spark; amusement, annoyance, or during his better performances, genuine concern. He closed his eyes and resisted the urge not to check for a pulse, feel him flutter back to life under his fingertips. It might be a thrill to see his boss resurrect over and over again, except that Ianto knew just how much it did kill him.

"You're not fooling me, Jack." Ianto muttered, opening his eyes again to see the captain lying quite still. Scolding himself for giving in he knelt beside him, knocking his arm with a boot as he did so. Not a sound, not a motion.

"I've not got time for this, sir," He said tightly, slipping a hand underneath the man's shirt, searching for the unsteady rhythm of a heart shocked back into beating. Usually Jack's saucy nature showed long before Ianto's hand had fully unbuttoned his shirt and the pair would fall against each other kissing feverishly. Ianto desperately wanted him to give up now, to see his lips turn up in a smile or his eyes open in joyful defeat. But he remained, well, dead.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. No. Jack always woke up, always. Even that time in the morgue after Abbadon, even after all those days, he still came back to life, back to Ianto. He thought about calling for Gwen again after it was her tender kiss that resuscitated him the last time (although, Ianto had always thought to himself afterwards, he couldn't be sure Jack hadn't really been listening when he sat there whispering filthy bribes into his ear in exchange for signs of life, especially because the 'games' they'd played afterwards had some very canny resemblances).

But this was no time for fond memories. Not when his love was so still. Ianto felt tears prick at his eyelids as he pressed down firmly on his boss's chest and placed his cheek against his cold lips. Then he rocked back on his heels, his fingers laced around that of the dead captain's, and wondered frantically what to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Gwen was at home when she got the call, cutting up sandwiches for Rhys to take to work. Girlfriends did this for their boyfriends, right? Made them sandwiches? Asked about their day? Maybe if she did the little things, the normal things for him, he wouldn't notice the other, not so perfect bits; the smell of men's aftershave she'd tried fervently to wash off her blouse before coming home; the ruffled hair as she'd drifted in all giddy in the evening, still swooning from a kiss that left her breathless – something she hadn't felt for a long time. Worst of all, Gwen was sure she had a wistful, yearning look on her face whenever she thought about _him_. If Rhys had noticed, she thought guiltily, he hadn't said a thing.

When the phone went off Gwen dropped the knife on the draining board with a clatter and patted at her thighs until she found her mobile. She knew instinctively it was The Hub and was already pulling on her boots before she could make out a voice on the other end.

"Gwen! Oh god, Gwen, it's him, it's Jack. He's –"

"Ianto? List- what? Hang on, I'm on my way." She said, battling to be heard through the crackling of the phone line and the man's shaking voice. It could be anything with Ianto – maybe one of Jack's little games, or perhaps Owen sabotaged his espresso machine again. The name and memory brings a grin to Gwen's face and she catches herself in the reflection of the car window, shaking her head dismissively and climbing into the front seat. _Stop it, Cooper_.

The Hub is about ten minutes away. As she coasts along the familiar road she taps away at the dashboard Toshiko had replace the old one, filled with different knobs and dials and a little speaker. A brief pause and she is prompted to call a member of the team. She debates whether to disturb Owen on his day off, but she can almost guarantee what he'll think of that. Wrinkling up her nose, she dials Tosh's number.

"Hello…?"

"Ah, Toshiko, love, you awake?" Gwen asks, not waiting for a reply. "It's Ianto, is everything okay at The Hub? He's asked me to come in."

"But it's their day together!" Gwen can practically hear Toshiko frown. "Give me a moment and I'll bring the screens up."

Gwen smiles – even on her days off Tosh never really stops working. The Hub's cameras are all wired to her own flat so she can ensure her precious electronics haven't spontaneously burst into flames while she's away. She waits impatiently at the red light for a moment before Tosh's shrill cries: _It's Jack! He's not moving! Ianto is at his side, he can't wake him, Gwen!_

Gwen's face pales and her fingers dig into the frame of her steering wheel. Not Jack, anyone but Jack. The red lights won't move fast enough. Swearing under her breath, she slams her foot down on the accelerator and wills that she is not too late.


	3. Chapter 3

Owen slammed the door of the SUV a little harder than usual and ran a hand through his tousled hair. There'd better be a damn good reason why Tosh rang his home phone so early, and on his day off too. He could have had a friend stay over and imagine how that would have looked for him? Well, he didn't, but that's not the point.

He entered the building through the front door since it was such a quiet morning; he hadn't seen anyone but the odd jogger stupid enough to brave the harbour breeze as he stopped to get coffee. He usually drank Ianto's but he didn't want to give him the impression that he enjoyed it. Although he hated to admit it, Ianto did make bloody good coffee.

When he entered the foyer it was like a bomb had gone off – he could hear the sounds of a grown man sobbing bouncing off of the stone wall; Gwen's lilting accent piercing his heart as her voice shook and she shouted instructions; and below him, reverberating through the stone floor, the wails and screams of their resident weevil in her Perspex cell. He ran through the open doorway and at first he did not comprehend the panic – The Hub looked just as it had done when he had left it. Not a single paper piled high on his desk was amiss, the monitors were still blinking and flashing, and Jack-

Jack. He could see him sprawled on the floor, his coat fanned out around him – and that was what Owen noticed first, through the slow, heady mist as the others got lost in their panic. _Jack is wearing his coat inside The Hub. _It was the first thing he'd take off unless he was in a hurry, which means he either had somewhere to go, or had just returned.

He stepped closer, ignoring Ianto still kneeling on the floor with his hands on the man's chest as if in a pathetic attempt to restart his heart.

"He's not breathing, Owen…" he whispered, so quietly and so resolutely that for a moment Owen felt sorry for the poor bugger. He half expected that Jack was fine, really, and just wanted to see the team crumble around him, proof the next time that they tell him to sod off that actually, they really needed him. Depended on him, even. Owen frowned. He didn't look injured physically, or ill. Just dead. But he can't be dead because how do you kill a man who doesn't die? It just didn't fit.

"Is he okay, Owen? I pulled up the footage from last night but there's nothing I can see wrong, no intruders or mistaken landings and no alien activity this close to The Hub. I can scan the footage again but I really don't see h-"

"Tosh? Do us a favour and shut up, please. Genius at work here." He snapped, rubbing his temples. What a shite start to his day off.

"Did you find him like this, Ianto? Or did you mess with the body…" He raised an eyebrow, glancing pointedly at the man's hands, still on Jack's bare chest. Ianto's cheeks flushed a deep red as he replied, "Yes, I came in, he was on the floor, he wasn't breathing Owen. He wouldn't answer me and I thought it was a joke but there's something wrong and…" his voice wavered in his throat and he tore his eyes away from Jack's, staring sadly at the doctor. _Oh Christ_, Owen thought, _not that puppy look._

"Okay, okay, move so I can check him over." He grunted, walking over to his locked desk where he kept a basic first aid kit. He turned around to find Gwen standing there, hazel eyes glistening with tears, lips trembling… those lips. She looked so fragile, like a china doll about to smash into a thousand pieces. The only time she ever looked this way is whether the two men she loved were in danger; Rhys or her Captain.

She was trying to be brave and he hated it, hated to see her so hurt and afraid. He wanted to grab her, squeeze her close until she would just collapse against him. He could make her okay again.

But not now, with the others here, and Jack in his… state. He squeezed her elbow and pushed past her to where the man lay, rifled through the plastic box and drew out his stethoscope. He placed the cool metal against flesh and listened, praying for a sign, an indication that Jack was still in there, fighting as he always did.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well," Owen said, removing the stethoscope from his ears and scratching his chin. "He's not dead."

"What?!" Three voices gasped, all attention focused on the doctor, incredulity and relief flooding the room at once.

Ianto squeezed Jack's lifeless hand, gazed down at the closed eyelids, remembered the touch of those cold lips. "What…"

"He's not alive either," Owen interjected gently. "Well, not really. He seems to be stuck in limbo. If I press down hard enough I can hear his heart beating but it's very faint. His vitals are strong though, but getting weaker. I don't think we've got long."

"But he's alive – Jack's – alive?!" Gwen demanded, voice shaking. "And we can bring him back again, we can wake him up, get him out of this limbo?" She rushed forward but Owen caught her, resisted the urge not to hold her there, and reluctantly shoved her away.

"Yes, so what I've got is a sick patient who really could do without all the hand-holding and smothering love. Help me move him, Ianto, and then we'll figure out what to do."

He lifted Jack under the armpits and nodded for Ianto to grab at his legs, and the pair gently lifted their fragile captain up off the floor and down onto the surgeon's table.

"I still can't find anything," Tosh called from her workstation. "But it does look like security's been tampered with."

"What, like the cameras?" Gwen asked, leaning over the technician's shoulder. "Has someone got into the system, erased footage? Meddled with our stuff?"

Toshiko frowned and curled a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Not exactly. But it does look suspicious. Almost like the _presence_ of the threat itself messed up my stuff." She leaned forward as if the closer she got to the screen, the faster she would find the answer.

"Right Owen, I think you should stay and help Tosh. That way you can keep an eye on… on him. And Ianto," Gwen smiled sadly at the tea boy, who was bent over his lover's body, head bowed as if in prayer. He looked up sharply when Gwen called his name and she resisted the urge not to pull him into a hug. She needed to be strong as second-in-command, especially for him, the poor lamb.

"Ianto, help me check The Hub, won't you?" she offered, and made her way at the back of the building and into Jack's office.

Nothing looked unusual. Gwen ran a hand absent-mindedly across the curved wood of the desk and sat down in his chair. It barely sank under her weight, no doubt used to Jack's heavier stature. It felt weird sitting here, almost forbidden, on the leather that was shaped for his bottom, right for his frame. She sprung up, feeling awkward, and instead paced over to his filing cabinet.

Immediately she noticed it – the little chest full of old scrolls and bits of debris collected over the years, past and future – it was open. The lid had come away and been left, as if the person last examining it was in a hurry or too clumsy or slothful to bother replacing it. She lifted the box up to her chest and peered in, half expecting it to be dull and useless, but hoping Jack's knack of leaving curious objects in unexplained locations was present here too. And then she saw it – not at first, admittedly, but there it was, sitting self-consciously amongst the mundane scriptures when she gingerly lifted them up. A grey object, almost like ivory, hooked and full of jagged little spines, with a dark tar-like substance on the blunt end. She lifted it with a finger and realised it was stuck, imbedded in the bottom of the box. That was when she realised it was a tooth, and reeled in horror at the tar-like substance which was in fact blood. Wiping her hand nauseously on her blouse, she settled the chest on her hip and hurried back to the team.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Note: Hey guys, thank you so much for the reviews – it means a lot to me that people have even read this fic! One quick thing I will answer though – this book is NOT about Gwen saving Jack! I am trying to give a perspective of all the Torchwood team members, as they are often overlooked in favour of Jack and Ianto! I have a few surprises up my sleeve if all goes well, and I hope you like where this is going **____** Feel free to criticise!**_

As Gwen headed off to the back of The Hub, Ianto looked down at his captain. He looked so vulnerable and he wondered, _do mortal men look this way to him? Do I look like this? _

He squeezed Jack's hand, hoping that very soon he'd hear the answer from the man's lips himself.

Ianto hurried quickly down into the vaults, switching on the light as he passed it. His footsteps echoed abruptly back to him, fast and impatient, too many stairs in such a time-pressed matter. No sooner had he rounded the first curve of the staircase did he hear the agonised cries of Janet the weevil, thrashing around in her cell, the sound of flesh hitting Perspex. He resisted the urge to check on her – he had more important matters to attend.

He entered the interrogation room, as Jack liked to call it, although it really was just a small, empty room with a few boxes, and an obvious lack of aliens. He approached the pile and held his breath, knowing full well that this was a gamble, that he had absolutely no idea what he was searching for. This was not his department; he wanted to look useful until Gwen or Toshiko found the answer.

He'd barely sifted through the first pile of junk when he heard Janet sobbing… unusually loud. He spun round and very nearly jumped out of his skin – she was there, at the door, shaking, moaning, clutching at her face with taloned hands. Ianto swore inwardly and his eyes darted around for the can of pepper spray they kept to control their prisoners during transport, but as bad luck would have it there was not a can in sight. He thought about arming himself and beating her back into her cell – but something was different.

She could smell him, surely, even if her hands were covering her face. She knew he was there but did not seem overly aggressive, as if she had come to him for help. Ianto felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle with suspicion and adrenaline – he'd seen first-hand what weevils could do to a person and did not much want to go that way, like a slab of bloodied meat. He wasn't sure Janet actually had the awareness to escape her cell by herself, let alone seek Ianto out for assistance.

But then she removed her hands and Ianto felt his stomach plunge into the region of his kneecaps. Her face, that ugly, wrinkled grotesque mask, was completely unrecognisable. Thick congealing pools of blood stuck to her scalp and deep, swollen welts ballooned her cheeks. He stepped closer and Janet hissed and wailed, but did not move. Slowly, cursing himself for what seemed like a very stupid idea, he inched closer to the alien, arms outstretched in protection, eyes never leaving her face. When he was close enough to smell her putrid, pungent stench, the speaker on his headset crackled and he flinched, sure the noise would startle the wounded weevil.

"Ianto? Do you want to head back now, Gwen thinks she's found something." Toshiko said.

Ianto grimaced and tried to keep his voice low. "Bit busy…Janet out…she's been hurt." He croaked.

There was a pause, in which time Ianto knew Toshiko would be checking the vault cameras.

"Ianto – don't move! I'll send Owen to help you – the door of her cell is _completely off its hinges_, we'll need to put her somewhere else."

"She's hurt," Ianto said softly, watching the weevil as she sagged down into a squat, eyes rolling, her breath leaving in ragged pants. She looked like she was going to collapse, and judging by the amount of blood she'd lost, Ianto was surprised she wasn't already dead. The last thought reminded him of Jack and he shook his head to clear the image, took a steadying breath, and grabbed the alien's arm.

Janet squealed and lunged forwards, teeth menacingly close to Ianto's face in warning. But she seemed to go limp in his arms, and by the time Owen arrived with a taser and two cans of pepper spray, her breathing had gone shallow and her eyes half closed.

"So," Owen said as lightly as he could. "We have a beat-up escaped alien and a Sleeping Beauty to deal with. Great, just great. Exactly what I imagined my days off to be like."


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: Hey guys – I hope you like where this story is going. I finally have a strong theme in mind and I know exactly what is going to happen – plenty of twists and turns in store! This story is set between the Series 1 episodes of Countrycide and Combat – hence the affair between Gwen and Owen. However as I said before, this story is NOT all about her, and the affair will NOT be massively explored. Any romantic scenes will largely focus on Jack and his teaboy. I have tried to keep this story as close to the true natures of the characters themselves. Any feedback (good or bad) would be apprieciated! I hope you enjoy! **

Toshiko's hand flew to her mouth when the boys returned, carrying the beaten alien between them and leading her over to Jack's body.

"Oh my God," she murmured incredulously. "What's happened to Janet? Who did this?"

Ianto helped the doctor to lift her up onto one of the surgeon tables and turned to face Tosh, inadvertently smearing his forehead with blood as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"I went downstairs and she was just behind me," Ianto explained. "I thought I was lunch but well, she just sort of collapsed. She didn't look angry, she looked…" he glanced down at the pitiful creature, her eyes swollen shut, her breathing nasally and tight. "She looked scared, and helpless."

Owen snorted with laughter and shook his head. "Don't be soft Ianto; haven't you seen a weevil attack? She was probably planning to rip your head off but she felt a bit faint."

He reached for a syringe, flicked it with his finger. A cloudy droplet dribbled down the end. "I'll put her out of her misery."

"NO!" The team shouted in unison, and Ianto shouldered Owen out of the way.

"What if whatever got her, got Jack?" He said angrily, snatching the syringe from Owen's hand.

"We don't know what's happening," Tosh added. "But this could be a sign!"

"I got this – this thing, like a tooth," Gwen said quietly, walking over to the chest again. She turned it on its side so that the others could see the object embedded in the bottom. "Could this be- could whatever got them have left this behind?"

Toshiko ran a finger across the smooth enamel, taking care to avoid the sharp and jagged end. With a little difficulty she deftly twisted her hand and the tooth came loose.

"Fine, I'll stabilise Janet and run some tests. But the door was completely gone so something big and ugly must be down there." Owen rolled his eyes and turned back to his newest patient, tapping away at his screen.

Gwen glanced at Tosh, busy scanning the tooth into their database system – no doubt doing something clever like finding out what era in time it was from, or the species, or the planet of origin. Her eyes fell on the back of Owen; his tousled hair where he hadn't bothered to brush it, the frown of his lips as he focused intently on his job… those lips that she longed to kiss…

The abrupt sound of somebody clearing their throat made Gwen jump, and she looked up sheepishly and flushing pink at the judging expression on Ianto's face.

"Shall we go and see what we can find in the vaults, then?" he offered, handing her one of the guns in his hand. Gwen smiled and walked briskly ahead of him, trying to quash her burning embarrassment.

The vaults looked much the same from their view from the stairs, minus a few blood splatters that had hit the concrete floor. Ianto pushed past her and headed straight for the empty cell, gun held in shaking hands in front of him. He'd not shot anything other than the cardboard targets he'd been forced to practise on during his training back at Torchwood One. He'd always thought that he'd never need to use it but well here he was now, gun in hand, determined to seek revenge on the monster that hurt his love.

Gwen watched Ianto approach the vault and had to bite her lip to stop herself from reprimanding the tea boy. He wasn't even checking for danger, he was completely exposed, dead-set on getting to the cell and blasting anything he could find with the damn gun. Gwen swore inwardly and kept her own gun trained on the doorways and shafts around them – she'd have to protect the both of them, then.

"There's nothing here." Ianto said bitterly, covering his face with his hands. "Whatever came in here has gone again, we've got nothing."

"The door though," Gwen said, nudging the pistol in the direction of the mangled wreck on the ground. The door had been ripped entirely off its hinges and lay crumpled on the floor. The sheet of Perspex between the metal frames had been snapped to form jagged spikes, with splinters decorating the floor in a three foot radius. Gwen crunched through the tiny shards of plastic and bent down to examine the door more closely. "It looks like whoever came in here was big, and bloody strong. Look at the scratches in here, look!" she exclaimed, pointing to the deep grooves.

Ianto knelt down beside her and ran a finger over the Perspex. _What sort of creature breaks into the well-guarded Torchwood Three building completely undetected, takes out a weevil and then manages to attack the only immortal on the planet, leaving him as good as dead? _

He was wondering this when he noticed it – a sliver of dark blue material, caught on the sharp edge of the metal framework. He reached out and took it between his fingers, turned it over in his palm. A heavy, sickening feeling of dread washed over him and he pressed the material to his lips.

"This is Jack's," he whispered. "Jack's shirt. Whatever came here came for him; it knew where to find him. And it's coming back."


	7. Chapter 7

"We found something!" Gwen called up the stairs as she rushed back to the others, Ianto close behind her, still clutching at the shred of clothing.

"And so has Tosh." Owen said, turning back to Janet with his alcoholic cleansing solution.

Toshiko pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and pulled up a screen containing a series of unrecognisable symbols and data. "I ran this tooth through the scanner but it's still calibrating information. But I found out that it's female, fully-grown, and mostly herbivorous. That means those teeth are for decoration, or fighting."

Gwen looked over at Jack lying still on the slab and furrowed her brow. "Why the hell did it attack him then, and a weevil?"

"Yes but it didn't try to eat them," Tosh pointed out, and Owen sniggered.

"Imagine trying to eat Jack – she'd get a surprise when he woke up inside her stomach. I wonder if he's been eaten before…" he glanced slyly at Ianto and grinned knowingly.

Ianto's cheeks flamed red.

Tosh frowned and turned back to her computer. "Anyway, I'm running a check now to see if we can find out what planet it's from. And why it came to Earth in the first place."

"And to bloody Cardiff." Owen added.

Ianto walked over to where Jack lay and peeled back his coat. "We found a piece of Jack's shirt." He said.

Owen spun round and with a flourish he had snatched the strip out of the Welshman's hands and began patting his hands over Jack's body. "And you didn't tell us sooner? Didn't you notice when you found him?"

"I was a bit more preoccupied with the fact our captain was almost dead on the floor!" he snapped back, leaning closer to watch as Owen removed his shirt and threw it over the back of his chair.

"What the fuck is that?"

Jack's abdomen was shiny – no, it was _glowing. _Owen pressed at his skin with a gloved hand and looked up at the girls over at the mainframe. "Tosh, does your research say anything about a glowing orb left behind in a victim's stomach?"

"What?" Gwen interrupted, leaving Toshiko to gawp over Jack's body with the men. "What the bloody hell is that? We didn't notice that earlier!"

"What is it?" Tosh asked, clicking her mouse frantically. "An egg or a larva? A bomb? A tracking device?"

Owen rubbed gel into Jack's skin and paced over to his surgery kit. He took out a sharp, shiny scalpel and Ianto baulked.

"You're not cu-" he began weakly, before Owen plunged the instrument into Jack's abdomen.

He flinched away, horrified, and covered his eyes with his hands.

Gwen watched as a ribbon of crimson blood began to appear and trickle down the captain's skin. She felt strangely calm as Owen carved away, thinking absently that Ianto would have to get his military coat dry cleaned when this was all over. She watched Owen cut through flesh and muscle and wondered if Jack ever got tired of his curse.

"Got it," Owen grunted, and he plunged his fist into Jack's stomach. He could feel the orb like a hot potato between his fingers – soft and yielding, yet firm and somewhat rubbery. He fiddled around unceremoniously for a better grip, thanking his lucky stars grimly that Jack was made of stronger stuff than any of his other patients. If he gets too handsy with the wrong organs at least he won't flatline.

"Three, two…" he counted, gritting his teeth and pulling the orb free.

The sound of air being sucked in, like a drowning man drinking in oxygen.

Owen dropped the orb and it bounced across the floor.

He stared at the gaping, bloody hole in the captain's stomach and then at the rise and fall of his chest.

"Well now that's gone I could go for a sandwich!" Jack grinned.


	8. Chapter 8

Ianto wasted all but three seconds gaping at the man before him, who was wincing with discomfort through his gritted, shining smile.

"Jack! I thought you'd had it…" he muttered, and the captain turned to face him, eyes warm and full of compassion. Ianto ran to him and stopped short as he stared at the gaping wound in his stomach, but Jack pulled him close regardless and left a tender kiss on his forehead.

"Oh thank god for that, oh Jack, what the hell happened?" Gwen cried, eyes brimming with tears.

"Well I must have pissed something off, tends to happen," He grinned, still clinging to his tea boy. Ianto could feel his fingers like desperate claws on his back and he wondered whether, just for a moment, Jack had thought he could die, too.

"Tosh, what you got?" Jack asked, grinning at the shell-shocked technician. Owen shook his head, unmoved by his boss's sudden return, and turned back to treating Janet's wounds. He knew he'd come back, he always did.

"That thing that was inside you," Tosh said. "Can I see it? I'm trying to determine whether you were being used as incubator for something or a storage device. But why you? Why didn't they settle with Janet?"

"But Jack's immortal," Gwen pointed out. "That's got to be it. And if they needed him for something… what better than to use a body that can't die?"

"Gwen you're right," Jack said. "Did you find the tooth yet?"

"But – how did you know?" She asked incredulously. "I found one in your office, in a trunk full of old junk."

"I don't keep space junk, I just keep mementos. Well I assume Tosh did a scan on it and you've worked out it's from the Gorglia Enterprise?" He grunted, pressing a hand to his stomach and wincing.

Ianto drew away and cupped Jack's chin in his hands. Behind Jack's charming smile he was in pain. Ianto knew he would always be the strong leader they could count on. But every death, every mortal wound, hurt Jack like it hurt any weary body, and he had to relive it more than most. He fetched a cloth from Owen's medical kit, dampened it at the sink, and began to mop Jack's brow.

"Gee Ianto, always the maid," he grinned, but the Welshman rolled his eyes and ignored him. Sod the condescending git; he would thank him for it later.

"I ran a search for the Gorglia Enterprise," Toshiko remarked, and she tilted the screen so Jack could view it from the table. "Inhabited by a race called the Varnashan. We haven't run into them before but I can see if they've had any run-ins with Earth in the past."

"Don't bother," Jack replied. "The Varna don't mean any harm, they're a peaceful race, and pretty smart too. They're not the type to go waging war against a planet full of useless and dull humans."

"Why did they come here then, Jack?" Owen asked. "They infiltrated Torchwood, bashed around a caged weevil and duffed you up – doesn't sound peaceful and harmless to me. And how come they got you unawares?" He regarded the captain with scorn. "You're the great Captain Harkness, you can't bloody die and you're always one step ahead. So what the hell happened, Jack?"

"Owen, settle down." Gwen warned him, glaring at the doctor, but if he heard he ignored her.

"What bloody good is a top secret operation if aliens can just pop in for a bite to eat and a little scuffle with the pet aliens? What does that make us then, eh? Sitting ducks?"

"They are _not _dangerous –" Jack repeated, and Owen laughed bitterly.

"Oh so because we didn't invite the fucking Daleks in we're safe then, yeah? What if it wasn't the Varna, Jack? Then what? Because I thought we were supposed to be containing the aliens, not adopting them!"

"Owen, that's enough." Jack growled. "The Varna didn't just swan in to our Hub, they travel by harnessing their telekinetic desires. That led them to me, which means no amount of technology could have kept them away. They obviously want me, I don't pretend to know why but well, I'm a little used to that don't you think?" He smirked. "Now I don't know about you but I don't much fancy being jumped again by a creature that can control telekinetic energy, so I'd like to find out why they came after me and how the hell we can let them know it's polite to knock first. Gwen, why don't you and Owen search storage for something that could help? I'll help Tosh run the data scans. Ianto, can you get me some of your coffee please? Nothing like a cup of your specialty to fill me up!" He winked, patting his gaping stomach again.

He could feel his skin becoming hot as coals, no doubt soon followed by the sore sensation of muscle and skin repairing itself again. He turned his head to look at the broken, battered body of the weevil and silently sympathised that she'd been put in harm's way – caged and unable to run from danger. Weevils are notoriously plucky creatures and despite his general dislike for the unhygienic, grotesque aliens, he did admire their foolish aggression. No doubt the Varna materialised in her cell and Janet attacked. He'd visited the Gorglia Enterprise before with a friend he called the Doctor. It was a fairly small and ancient planet consisting of two dominant races – the Varnashan and the Icoram. The two tribes had been locked in an evolutionary arms race for millennia, stuck in a predator-prey cycle that resulted in such powerful but, in universal terms, relatively unheard of species. Jack frowned and rubbed his temples as he tried to recall the attack – if he could call it that. He was sure the Varna did not mean to harm him and perhaps did not even foresee that their actions would cause his body to shut down. They are a compassionate race, unlikely to cause deliberate damage to another life unless in self-defence.

Ianto returned with his coffee, just how he liked it. He gave his lover a heartfelt smile and glanced into the steaming contents of his mug. If the Varna returned, which was as good as certainty, how could he hope to protect his team if they chose them as a host instead?


	9. Chapter 9

**Note: Thanks so much for all the support guys! I will try and upload at least a chapter a day but please be patient if the next few chapters are slow to be added as I will shortly be travelling back up to university and it will mean I'll be very busy while I get settled. Thanks for all the feedback and the kind words! **

"So," Jack walked over to the mainframe and stood behind Toshiko, blowing his coffee. "What did you learn from that tooth?"

"That whatever it came from – a Varna I suppose – is a vegetarian, and that tooth more like a tusk. Gwen found it in your office but the end is covered in blood, so I don't think it naturally came off. Was the creature that attacked you wounded?"

"Beats me," Jack shrugged. "I was on my way to the harbour. Didn't stand a chance against a telekinesis expert, never even saw her coming. Hopefully Owen or Gwen'll find something down in the stores to minimise the effects of her next drop-in."

"You seem awfully calm," Toshiko smiled. Sometimes she found Jack's composure a little unsettling. She wasn't sure she'd be making jokes and idle chat after being jumped by an alien and receiving major surgery. Without pain relief. "Do you think we've got anything like that down there?"

Jack sipped at his coffee and picked up the tooth with his free hand, absently turning it over. "If we have, they'll find it." He replied.

Ianto was hunched over Janet, peering at the wounds on her face. She was sedated now, eyes shut, breathing steady now that Dr. Harper had tended to her. The scratches in her skin seemed fairly superficial but the blood that had flowed out of them earlier was horrific. He mentioned this to Jack.

"That's part of the tactics the Varna have developed over time," Jack explained, joining the tea boy over at the surgeon's table. "Anti-coagulating properties in their talons. Means they only have to scratch once or twice and their enemy is collapsing all over the place covered in blood. It gives them enough time to get away or teleport back to safety."

"Why do you think they ended up in the vaults?" Ianto asked. "If they wanted you, surely it would have been easier for them to just teleport right where you were and snatch you? Instead they risked being apprehended by a member of staff, savaged by a weevil and getting lost in The Hub while they searched for you."

"Like I said before, they rely on telekinetic energy to travel. That's risky business – they didn't have exact co-ordinates to get me. They must have been able to smell my life force as soon as they hit Earth's atmosphere – longevity stinks so I'm the grossest man on the planet!" He grinned, placing the mug on the counter. "They just showed up in my rough location and got sniffing. Their luck I was still in the Hub." Janet twitched in her chemically-induced sleep and Jack leaned in closer, wrinkling his nose against the creature's foul breath.

"The Varnashan don't really bite, do they Jack? So how did that tooth end up in your office?" Toshiko pointed out. "Will you pass me the egg, I still haven't scanned it."

Ianto ducked under the table and grabbed the orb. It had stopped glowing now and felt cold to the touch, more jelly-like and fragile than it had felt before. He brought it over to the technician as Jack began to answer.

"It definitely looks like it broke off so I'm guessing she was in a fight before she came here. And that might explain the thing they put in my stomach. Life is energy, so I'm like Duracell Ultra. I could charge an entire fleet's battalion if they waited long enough."

"So it's a weapon?" Toshiko asked, examining the orb over her spectacles. "How long do you think they expected it to charge? They could be back any second!"

"That's why I'm counting on Gwen and Owen to get back here fast," Jack said grimly. "I don't know how much time we have left but if we're lucky it's bought us 'til morning. This weapon must have been important in their war against the Icoram; we're gonna be up against a very angry and disappointed alien. I just hope she hasn't brought family for a little Earth Vacation or we're gonna need a bigger Hub."


	10. Chapter 10

Any other time Gwen might have felt grateful for getting to escape for a bit with Owen, but she was focused on the task in hand and very much aware of a time limit. Every passing second she spent alone in the doctor's company left her conscience gnawing more desperately with guilt.

She listened to her footsteps echo down the stone corridor and searched the back of her mind for the password. It wasn't often the team had to search through storage but she recalled the four-digit code and hurriedly pressed them into the keypad. The metal door pulled back with a groan.

"Right Owen, help me look for something that can harness energy." She said, using her clipped professional tone, and started towards the large crate labelled simply as 'Artefacts'.

"After all the aliens we've met there must be some kind of cyber technology that can block mind-readers or something," Owen muttered, picking up what looked like a dusty, broken hair dryer. "If that's even what we're supposed to do. How are we going to find anything to help if we don't know what we're up against?"

Gwen could feel panic rising as she realised just how much truth were in those words. There was a whole room to sort through and half of the stuff Jack kept looked like it came from the future, a time he may well be familiar with, but not something she could hope to understand. She dug deeper in her frustration and pulled out a long, thin piece of metal that looked as important as a twig yet could, for all she knew, hold the meaning of life. Without pausing to think she threw it against the wall and swore loudly when it rebounded with an ear-piercing ring.

"What did you do?" Owen asked incredulously, rising to a stand from his position next to the crate and tilting his head in the direction of the rod. It had begun to glow an eerie blue, like the heart of a hot flame, and continued to shake though it made no more noise.

"What is it?" she asked, stepping closer, her hand resting on the butt of her gun. She doubted anything mysterious would fly out at her but, well; this was alien technology after all.

"There's something glowing in there, too…" Owen said and she turned to see a second crate, several feet from the first and black with damp, giving off the same eerie light. Before she could warn him to stay away Owen had strode over, sunk his hand into the pile and pulled out another of the metal rods.

"Can you see?" He murmured, tilting it in his hands. "It's the same glow that egg had right before I removed it from Jack's body. Maybe it's from Gorgli-whatsits."

"But Jack said the Varna haven't visited Earth before," Gwen interrupted. "So why would their technology be here?"

"But he didn't say the Icoram haven't and this could just be debris blown in from The Rift," Owen replied. "It's our best lead down here, anyway. I don't know what they are."

Following suit, Gwen picked up her metal rod, too. She made as if to head back up the corridor with Owen when it began to vibrate in her hand, a desperate pull towards its matching soul mate. Owen could feel a burning heat searing his palm and he dropped the rod with a shock. Gwen's resounding _shit! _followed by the rod clattering to the floor once again assured him he wasn't the only one to receive such a reaction.

They watched with guarded fascination as the metal poles began to shake violently again, the magnetic force pulling them closer, the eerie glow flaring into a bright and blinding flash. Owen watched as a figure seemed to appear amongst the bright lights and he took Gwen's hand in his, backing away towards the entrance.

"Oh God Owen, what have I done?" she whispered, a trembling wreck beside him, and he shoved her through the door, his body ablaze with adrenaline.

There was a deep, throaty bellow that quickly swallowed the space in the small storage room and hit Owen's eardrums like the sound of a cannon let off too close to a building. It was too big, too real in the little stone chamber. Muscles bulged from the scaly mass, quivering with anticipation, readying for danger. Its feet the size of dustbin lids set on the end of limbs thick as tree trunks, armed with talons that looked like they could tear the walls apart brick by brick. Large black eyes blinked in the fading light and saw Owen recoil as he slammed the door shut.

Behind the wooden frame, the Varnashan roared.


	11. Chapter 11

**Note: Huge apologies for such a delay in writing and the fact that this chapter is short – I've had a lot on my plate lately. My depression took a turn for the worst and I've had to quit my university, travel back down to my home and unpack, and begin the recovery process. Thank you all for being so patient. I am still trying to get my creativity back so the next few chapters may have some delays but I will certainly try and wrap this story up soon. Thank you for your interest.**

Toshiko had been finishing the data scan when the alarms at her desk screamed their urgency, and she certainly did a double take when she looked at the CCTV monitor focused on the storage room.

"Jack, she's here!" She cried, pressing a finger to her earpiece. "Owen? Gwen? Get back, get here now!"

She winced at the crackling on the other end of the line but thought she could make out Owen's sarcastic retort: "_- hell do you think we're doing, having a tea party?" _

"What the hell happened?" Jack demanded, sprinting over to the monitors. "Tosh, shut that room down!"

The Varnashan on the screen was huge and grotesque, like something born and mutated from the deepest recesses of Hell. He watched as it dropped onto all fours and lumbered over to the wooden door, sniffing with oozing nostrils.

"Jack," Toshiko whispered. He turned to face her and his expression immediately softened. She looked so afraid, her eyebrows knitted together with worry, her eyes huge and round behind her glasses. "What _is _she?"

Jack shook his head. "She's in trouble."

"Jack, what in God's name do we do, _what do we do?_" Gwen demanded as she turned to face the wooden door, gun pointing straight ahead.

"Gwen," Owen hissed. "Get moving. No bullet's going to stop that thing!"

"I need you both to try and stay calm!" Jack barked into their earpieces. Owen rolled his eyes. "Now, stick together. That thing is dangerous and it will have a harder time picking you off if you _stick together!_"

"But you said it was harmless; prey. You said it wouldn't come here to hurt us."

"That was before we dragged it out of its own time and brought it here," the captain said drily. "I'd be pretty pissed off too. And we don't know what's happening over at the Enterprise. She could have been protecting her young or readying for battle, and now she's here, no warning."

With a deafening groan the wood cracked in two. Saliva or snot or some other horrible substance dripped from the frame and onto the concrete floor. A pungent, thick stench snaked its way through the draught of cool air. Owen ducked his head into the crook of his elbow, repulsed.

The Varnashan gave a guttural cry and bent its head through the walkway, blinking slowly, small ears flicking and twisting like satellite dishes.

"Whoa," Gwen warned. "Stay back there… girl. We're not here to cause any trouble; we don't know why the hell you're here either."

The Varna froze and lifted its head to regard Gwen. She thought she could see the gleam of intelligence in its eye, but it was hard to appreciate when you were backed into a corner by a giant alien that looked like it could splinter you in half with a swipe of its claw.

"Yeah… you," Owen tried. "Stay back if you know what's good for you!"

"Guys, can you hear me?" Tosh's voice piped up. "I've done some analysis of the Varnashan. The system predicts it relies mostly on hearing. Talk quietly and calmly and it shouldn't feel threatened – we need you to get back up here but _back away slowly!_"

Owen placed a hand on the butt of Gwen's gun and slowly pushed it downwards. She nodded and put it back in the holster. A gun would only hinder her movements during an escape, and serve no real purpose at bringing down this monstrous armoured beast.

"Now, think of it like a bull," Jack said over the intercom as the pair began to head back to the mainframe room. "Just sorta stands there calmly unless you anger or startle it. Then all hell will break loose until it calms itself down again. We need to keep it calm until we can return it to the Enterprise. Think you can handle it?"

"Right, okay, don't anger or startle it," Owen replied. "Piece of cake. Good thing we don't know what its triggers are, or this would be too easy!"


End file.
